Collapsible and featherweight travel bag

ABSTRACT

A collapsible, featherweight travel bag and method of using the same, wherein said travel bag collapses into a pocket that is preferably embedded into the bag or that is embodied in a separate carry case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from provisional patent application No.60/613,367.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This application claims priority from provisional patent application No.60/613,367. The present invention relates to the field of collapsibletravel bags.

2. Description of Prior Art

There are a variety of luggage and travel bags on the market. In therealm of luggage and travel, the consuming public is constantly lookingfor a product that is strong, lightweight, collapsible and easy to use.In the industry of travel bags, convenience and ease of use are ofparamount importance. Many improvements have been made, and are commonlyseen in airports, for instance, the numerous models of overnightsuitcases carried by travelers, bearing wheels and telescoping handles.While numerous improvements such as these have been made in the luggageindustry, a constant dilemma of travelers is how to transport thegreatest possible weight of luggage, while staying within the carry-onand baggage limits of most commercial carriers.

Every traveler's nightmare is the situation when a flight desk check-inclerk or flight attendant tells a traveler that a given bag is too fullor bulky, or that constraints of a particular cabin will requirerepacking, checking, or leaving behind a particular travel bag. Giventhe infinitely confusing array of travel restrictions on dimensions,weight and the number of bags that can be carried on to a plane, thisnightmare all too frequently comes true. The traveler, who is frequentlyalready at the airport, bus or ferry terminal is faced with the dilemmaof what to do with the extra three pounds of socks, sweaters, gifts,etc. Should the excess be mailed home? Should a new suitcase bepurchased? Is a different flight required? Does the traveler check thecarry-on as an extra check-in luggage, thus depriving him or herself ofpersonal items typically placed in carry-on during the voyage? Theseproblems are all too common.

There is also a constant problem of how to negotiate a return trip withgifts and treasures acquired on a trip, particularly if the suitcaseswere already full on the original flight. Most consumers loathe the ideaof traveling with an empty suitcase in hand, much less the prospect ofbuying a new overpriced suitcase at the destination or the airport, butthere are very few alternatives for today's traveler. Short of walkingaround with an unsightly garbage bag (that tears), purchasing a newsuitcase, or mailing home expensive packages, there are no readilyavailable solutions.

Additionally, with present luggage technology, there is a problem withcollapsibility. An extra suitcase is not only irritating to carry whiletraveling, but it also means that a consumer is forced to find a placeto store the extra suitcase when not in use, thus depriving the owner ofvaluable closet or attic space.

The present invention offers an alternative to traveling consumers—acollapsible travel bag that is elegant in style and function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the objective of the present invention to provide afeatherweight collapsible travel bag that is easy to store and yetstrong enough to carry an appreciable amount of luggage.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide afeatherweight travel bag that may be stored in a traveler's existingluggage in case the need arises for an extra suitcase.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a featherweighttravel bag that may be stored in the user's home, office or apartmentwith minimal use of space.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide afeatherweight travel bag that is resistant to tearing and the stressesof commercial travel.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide afeatherweight travel bag that is made of material without excess metalor materials that would cause unnecessary security concerns at travelcheckpoints.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide afeatherweight travel bag that is relatively inexpensive, and whiledurable, not so precious that the user would be concerned of disposingof the travel bag.

It is still a further object of the present invention to employ fabricmaterials in construction of the featherweight travel bag that are bothstrong and light.

Other objectives of the invention will become apparent to those skilledin the art once the invention has been shown and described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The manner in which these objectives and other desirable characteristicscan be obtained is explained in the following description and attacheddrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the featherweighttravel bag as it would appear when filled with luggage.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a carry case for the featherweighttravel bag with a fastener in the form of a drawstring.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carry case for the featherweighttravel bag with a fastener in the form of a synthetic material havingboth a layer of tiny hooks and a complementary layer of clinging pile.

FIG. 4A is a perspective sequence depicting a preferable method ofpreparing the featherweight travel bag for storing in a carry case.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the featherweight travel bag 1 as ittypically appears in fully expanded position when it is filled withluggage. This embodiment of the present invention takes the form of aduffel bag, although other embodiments are contemplated. While thefeatherweight travel bag 1 could also have a more cylindrical shape,FIG. 1 depicts a duffel shape of a rectangular box configuration definedby six planar sides fixedly connect to one another. First side 5 andsecond side 6 form the duffel bag sides. First end 3 and second end 4preferably form the duffel bag ends. Top side 7 and bottom side 2preferably form the top and bottom surfaces of the featherweight travelbag 1 with duffel bag shape. More specifically, the featherweight travelbag 1 is preferably defined by a first end 1 and a second end 4, witheach of the foregoing ends forming a four-edged polygon. The respectivetop edges of the first end 3 and second end 4 are preferably fixedlyconnected to one another by top side 7, which forms a rectangular planebetween first end 3 and second end 4. Directly opposite top side 7 isbottom side 2, which preferably forms the bottom of the featherweighttravel bag 1. This bottom side 2 preferably forms a planar surfacefixedly connecting the lower edges of said first end 3 and second end 4.First side 5 and second side 6 are opposite surfaces of thefeatherweight travel bag 1 that form the duffel bag side surfaces. Firstside 5 is a planar surface with two of four edges (those edgesperpendicular to the ground in FIG. 1) fixedly connected at oppositeends to first end 3 and second end 4. First side 5 has the two remainingedges (those horizontal to the ground on FIG. 1) preferably fixedlyconnected to top side 7 and bottom side 2. Second side 6 is a planarsurface with two of four edges (those edges perpendicular to the groundin FIG. 1) fixedly connected at opposite ends to first end 3 and secondend 4. Second side 6 has its two remaining edges (those horizontal tothe ground on FIG. 1) preferably fixedly connected to top side 7 andbottom side 2.

The featherweight travel bag 1 also is shown with handle means 9 whichare fixedly connected to the top side 7. Typically, the handle means 9are sewn to top side 7, and forming looping handles typical of manycommercially available duffel bags, including but not limited to thosemade from nylon. The handle means 7 depicted in FIG. 1 are two loopinghandles appearing on opposite sides of fastening means 8, which extendsalong the central length of top side 7. The fastening means 8 is azipper, how other mechanisms could be employed, for instance snaps,Velcro®, hooks or buttons, so long as the primary function is to openand close the featherweight travel bag 1.

The featherweight travel bag 1 and a plurality of its side surfaces arepreferably fixedly connected to one another by sewing. The travel bag 1is made from exceptionally light fabrics that are adapted to this typeof connection. However, it should be noted that multiple surfaces couldbe formed from a single congruous piece of fabric. For instance, it iscontemplated that the top side 7, second side 6, bottom 2 and first side5 depicted could be formed from one piece of fabric, with the respectivesurfaces defined by sewing on edges of the first end 3 and second end 4.While FIG. 1 depicts a primarily rectangular container shaped travel bag1, it is to be noted that the bag is not rigid in form as itsconstruction is fabric. FIG. 1 is one preferable shape for featherweighttravel bag 1, but other shapes and sizes are also contemplated. Alsonoted in FIG. 1 are center bands 10, which preferably extend from thehandle means 9 down and around the featherweight travel bag 1 to provideadditional strength and support for the bag. Reinforced ends 11 are alsopreferable improvements shown that provide additional support where thefirst end 3 and second end 4 meet with the remaining surfaces (sides) ofthe featherweight travel bag 1.

A primary functionality of the featherweight travel bag 1 is itscollapsibility, therefore, exceptionally lightweight, strong materialsmust be used in its construction. While nylon, cotton and polyesterblend fabrics can work, featherweight travel bag 1 is preferably made offabric that is high-density polyethylene fiber. One such group ofsuitable fabrics are those made by DuPont corporation and sold under thetrademarks TYVEK® and KENSEL®. Particularly suitable for the presentinvention are TYVEK® products sold under the TYPE 14 TYVEK® and TYPE 16TYVEK® trademarks. These fabrics offer particularly well-suitedcharacteristics for water resistance, tear resistance, softness, lowweight, breathability and mildew resistance. Other such fabrics wouldinclude those sold by DuPont under the 1460®, Reflektra® and Supra®trademarks.

FIG. 2 depicts a preferable carry case 12 with fastener 13, whichfastener is in the form of a drawstring. The carry case 12 is adapted tohold the collapsed featherweight travel bag 1 and is preferably madefrom the same material forming the featherweight travel bag 1. FIG. 3 isan alternate embodiment of the carry case 12, however, with fastener 13formed of a fastener in the form of a synthetic material having both alayer of tiny hooks and a complementary layer of clinging pile, such asthat certain fastener sold under the trademark Velcro@. Alternately, inanother preferable embodiment, the carry case 12 is not a separate bag,but rather embedded on the side of featherweight travel bag 1 in theform of a pocket into which the entire expandable travel bag 1 may becompressed. Such a pocket is in the range of preferably 3″ to 10″ inlength by 4″ to 11″ in width, with a 6″ width by 7″ length beingpreferable. In other words, the entire travel bag 1 will unfold out ofthe embedded pocket. When collapsed the entire featherweight travel bagis in the range of % to 1 inch in thickness and weighing in the range ofbetween 1.5 to 5.0 ounces in weight.

An important feature of the present invention is the small size of thecarry case 12, which paradoxically contains a featherweight travel bag 1that expands to a large size. The featherweight travel bag 1 shownexpands to 20 inches long, 18 inches wide and 9 inches tall. The presentcarry case 12 depicted is seven inches in width by 8 inches in length.When filled with the folded featherweight travel bag 1 shown it is stillless than 1.5 inches in height, thus making the travel bag 1 extremelyversatile and easy to store in suitcases, closets, etc. Furthermore, thefeatherweight travel bag 1 and carry case 12 depicted together weighonly 3.3 ounces. The featherweight travel bag 1 depicted is only 3.0ounces. While these are the specific dimensions of the Figures depicted,it is contemplated that the combined featherweight travel bag 1 andcarry case 12 will fall in the range of 2.0 to 12 ounces in weight. Thefeatherweight travel bag 1 by itself may be in the range of between 1.0and 11.5 ounces in weight. It is further contemplated that the carrycase 12 component of the invention could have a range of volumes (L×W×H)in the range of 4.5 cubic inches to 300 cubic inches. It is furthercontemplated that the expanded volume of the featherweight travel bag 1may be in the range of 270 cubic inches to 25,920 cubic inches (based onL×W×H in expanded form).

FIG. 4 is a perspective sequence depicting a preferable method ofpreparing the featherweight travel bag 1 for storing in a carry case 12.As shown the featherweight travel bag 1 shown is a primarily rectangularconfiguration, however with the six sides deflated. FIG. 4 is a deflatedversion of the travel bag 1 of FIG. 1. The method embodies a series ofhalf-folds until the travel bag 1 is small enough to fit in the carrycase 12. Therefore, the first step in the method of preparing the travelbag 1 for storing would involve flattening the travel bag 1 so that asshown in the uppermost figure of FIG. 4, the respective top edges offirst end 3 and second end 4 fold toward one another. Secondly, thetravel bag 1 is folded along first midline 13 so that the travel bag 1appears in the flattened condition shown on the second drawing in thesequence, which is then folded in half along a second midline 14 toarrive at the appearance of the third depiction in the sequence. Thetravel bag 1 is then folded along third midline 15 so it appears as thefourth depiction in the sequence, and then again folded in half alongthe fourth midline, at which point the travel bag 1 is manually insertedby the user into the carry case 12. Thus, the user is able to manuallyfold this preferable embodiment of the invention in four folds forstorage. It is contemplated that the travel bag 1 could be foldedbetween 3 and 6 times along midlines to achieve a size capable of beinginserted into a carry case 12.

It is understood that each of the elements described above, or two ormore together may also find a useful application in other types ofmethods differing from the type described above. While certain novelfeatures of this invention have been shown and described, it is notintended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understoodthat various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in theforms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can bemade by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from thespirit of the invention.

1. I claim a featherweight travel bag.
 2. A featherweight travel bagunit comprising: (a) A plurality of surfaces fixedly connected to oneanother forming a featherweight travel bag; (b) a handle means fixedlyconnected to a top side of said featherweight travel bag; (c) afastening means featured on said featherweight travel bag for openingand closing said travel bag.
 3. The featherweight travel bag unit ofclaim 2, further comprising a carry case adapted to hold saidfeatherweight travel bag.
 4. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim3 wherein said carry case has a volume in the range of 4.5 to 300 cubicinches.
 5. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 2 wherein saidtravel bag is in the range of 1.0 and 11.5 ounces in weight.
 6. Thefeatherweight travel bag unit of claim 3 wherein the combined weight ofsaid travel bag and carry case is in the range of 2.0 to 12 ounces inweight.
 7. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 2 wherein saidtravel bag has an expanded volume in the range of 270 to 25,920 cubicinches.
 8. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 2 wherein saidtravel bag is not more than 3.0 ounces.
 9. The featherweight travel bagunit of claim 2 wherein said travel bag is in the range of 1.0 and 11.0ounces in weight.
 10. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 2wherein said travel bag is in the range of ¼ to 1 inch in thickness whencollapsed.
 11. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 2 wherein saidtravel bag is formed from any of the groups of material consisting ofnylon, cotton, high-density polyethylene fibers marketed under TYVEK®,KENSEL®, TYPE 14 TYVEK®, TYPE 16 TYVEK®, DuPont 1460®, Reflektra® andSupra® trademarks.
 12. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 3,wherein said carry case has a fastener.
 13. The featherweight travel bagunit of claim 3, wherein said carry case is embedded on a side of saidtravel bag in the form of a pocket into which said travel bag may becompressed, whereby said travel bag may unfold out of said embeddedpocket.
 14. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 13 wherein saidpocket is in the range of 3 to 10 inches in length by 4 to 11 inches inwidth.
 15. A featherweight travel bag unit and carrying case wherein:(a) a featherweight travel bag and carrying case are in the range of 2to 12 ounces in weight; and, (b) an expanded volume of saidfeatherweight travel bag is in the range of 270 cubic inches to 25,920cubic inches.
 16. The featherweight travel bag unit and carrying case ofclaim 15 wherein said travel bag is formed from any of the groups ofmaterial consisting of nylon, cotton, high-density polyethylene fibersmarketed under TYVEK®, KENSEL®, TYPE 14 TYVEK®, TYPE 16 TYVEK®, DuPont1460®, Reflektra® and Supra® trademarks.
 17. The featherweight travelbag unit of claim 15, further comprising a carry case wherein said carrycase has a fastener.
 18. The featherweight travel bag unit of claim 15wherein said travel bag is not more than 3.0 ounces.
 19. Thefeatherweight travel bag unit of claim 15 wherein said travel bag is inthe range of 1.0 and 11.0 ounces in weight.
 20. A method of preparing afeatherweight travel bag and carrying case for storage comprising thesteps of: (a) Flattening a travel bag so that respective top edges of afirst end and a second end fold toward one another; (b) Folding saidtravel bag along a first midline; (c) Folding said travel bag along asecond midline; (d) Folding said travel bag along a third midline; (e)Folding said travel bag along a fourth midline; and, (f) Inserting saidfolded travel bag into a carry case.